Hike Shropshire's historic hills — Wild Edric's Way

This fantastic long-distance footpath explores the Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Beauty (AONB) and sticks to historic, rural countryside. Starting in Church Stretton and ending up in Ludlow, the trail takes the long way around, sending you to the towering heights of the Stiperstones and down into the gorgeous valleys that criss-cross the area. The Way passes ancient, crumbling castles, meets Offa’s Dyke, skips over centuries-old bridges and pauses in stunning market towns.

Wild Edric, or Eadric the Wild, was an influential Anglo-Saxon landowner and prominent figure in the uprising against the Norman invasion. He led numerous rebellions in the years after the invasion, mainly in the Shropshire and Herefordshire area, although all ultimately failed. Exploring the lands he so fervently defended is not only beautiful, but you get the impression that, aside from a lack of war, little seems to have changed.

This path is officially 49 miles (79 km) long but with various minor extensions to interesting points, I’ve planned this Collection to be 53.8 miles (86.5 km). This makes it an ideal distance for a walking holiday with plenty of towns to stop in and a mixture of hills and gentler landscapes.

Lanes, fields, open commons, rocky tors and rough tracks all have a part to play in this hike’s terrain. There are some steep elevation changes but nothing too challenging nor anything requiring equipment more than the usual sturdy hiking boots and perhaps poles if you use them.

You can hike the Way throughout the year but late autumn and winter can both bring challenging weather, snow and ice to higher ground. As a result, I recommend you complete this route between spring and the end of summer, depending on what the weather is up to in any particular year. Because this adventure is almost entirely rural, the warmer months bring out the best of the landscape in terms of birdsong, insects and flowers too.

Each stage in this Collection starts and finishes in a place where you can find food and accommodation. There are three YHA youth hostels/bunkhouses on the route but B&Bs, hotels, inns, campsites and private holiday accommodation are easy to find as well.

While I’ve designed this route to lead from Church Stretton to Ludlow, you can just as easily hike in the opposite direction. Both towns have train stations on the same line, with an additional station at Craven Arms. This allows you to arrive by car and return by train after you’ve finished, as an alternative to doing the entire journey by train.